Friday, May 15, 2009

Grilled Zucchini Salad

Here is my 3rd zucchini recipe for the summer. This is a salad I've been making for ages. It's simple, crisp and puts a smile on my face every time I serve it. You can easily switch it by using a medley of different vegetables - and can hold off on the chili if you don't enjoy the spice. I'm happy to say that my tolerance to spiciness has somewhat improved...somewhat that is! Oliver has tried, tried and tried again to increase my tolerance to spice, with some success, but sadly I can't compete with his.

Out for Vietnamese pho soup, he has the habit of adding hot sauce until his eyes happily water. He definitely enjoys it that way - and I.. well, I just watch. A little dried chili in fresh summery salad though, I can take!Grilled Zucchini Salad (serves 4)2 zucchinis½ lemon, zest and juiceA small pinch of dried chili4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil1 small handful of fresh mint leavesSalt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the zucchini in thin strips. Season both sides with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, chili and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon half of this vinaigrette onto the strips of zucchini. Set your BBQ or indoor grill to medium high heat. Grill the strips for 1-2 minutes on each side. Add the zucchini to the serving bowl and drizzle with the extra vinaigrette. Coarsely chop the mint and add to the salad. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

I just grilled some zucchini to put in a quinoa salad and it made me remember how much I like it grilled. It gets so nice and sweet! I'm with your hubby - I like to eyes to water when I'm eating pho or sushi. :)

I absolutly love grilled zucchini and am like you, I can't deal with hot spices. The first time I took Ian for Pho he ordered a spicy broth, then put more hot sauce in it. Boys will be boys though! Keep up the zucchini love!

Sorry that I've been an absent commenter; I just finished up my law school exams and am finally getting around to my google reader. This treat looks fabulous! I love zucchini. It's such a great vehicle for spices, too! What a great spring/summer treat.

I totally love zucchini! I think it is a perfect vegetable for summery dishes and I love how you can stirfry it, grill it and it tastes delicious in a lot of dishes. This looks like a perfect summer salad. Now if only the weather would be good enough so that it looks like summer! Love the photo too!